Of books and soaps …

Here I am, stuck in the corner! this time at a very comfy, well organized bookshop. Why am I stuck in the corner ? Firstly there is a dainty coffee shop in the corner of the bookshop and secondly because I dont know what book to buy .. :(

This could be very discomforting to an ignoramus like me…. especially when the ”literrati” give me a sneer when I just finger all the books in the shelves and quietly replace them, ruffled by the price on the end cover…

Well I am not so naive as I think I am. I definitely do not want the thrillers ! nor I am very keen on buying a 1000 page pillow that rambles on world war torture mechanisms or other crime stories… science fiction – I utterly dislike … I mean what can you say after you a read a book that says 49 is the source of all things in the universe .. heresy !

Now that I have shrunk the laundry list, I followed the next search methodology – fonts !! is it a good print with a legible fonts, a neat binding and an equally good review at the end – in the reverse sequence so to say…something is amiss…

I wish there was much more that a bookstore can do than just put a neat display like Fox bookstores (once again You’ve Got Mail!) . Mebbe the user experience I desire is much more than a strong coffee in the corner of the shop.

I seek books in which the words are pithy, the characters are intriguing and  storyline leaves a lasting memory long after I finish reading the book. This intellectual subjectivity of the customer is what makes selling books very interesting and intimidating at the same time.

Mebbe 75 years of stardom or a distinct white blue packaging on a well labelled shelf is good enough for soaps. It is time bookshops moved away from mere planograming to understanding customer intimacy towards books.

Till that time, they can make up for their revenues by selling piping hot colombian coffee to their customers who are stuck in the corner !!